New Study Finds Men Spend More Freely than Women

It turns out that women aren’t the only customers doing the bulk of the shopping these days. According to a new study from WSL, a research company focusing on shopping and retail trends, 63% of men say then actively look for sales in store and 53% admit to regularly using coupons. Who knew!?

The findings were revealed today as part of WSL’s How America Shops® Men & Shopping report, which surveyed 740 men and 780 women 18+, in July of 2013. The report identified Millennial men as the most tech-savvy shoppers, with 67% using their mobile phones to shop, vs. 52% of Gen X’ers and 29% of Boomers.

“There are a number of assumptions associated with the way men shop, and the reality is that many of them are just not true,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL. “Men are consistently more optimistic about their finances than women, which makes them more inclined to spend than their female counterparts, even in a shaky economy. What’s different about today’s man is that he is more engaged and shopping smarter than retailers may be giving him credit for.“

Candace Corlett, President of WSL, said, “It’s important to recognize that younger men are driving this evolution in shopping behavior. The Gen X and Millennial men grew up with significantly more places to shop and tools to choose from, and they are part of a culture that shares shopping responsibilities with their working wives. With these groups now representing more than half of the male population, brands and retailers need to make sure they know how these men shop.”

According to the study, younger shoppers are the most savvy in searching for online discounts, while at least half of men in all groups use coupons to help reduce costs.

The study also revealed that, contrary to popular belief, men ask for help. More men than women will look for help from a sales associate most categories like home products, baby products and beauty products.

Men are also better loyalty customers – 79% of those surveyed belong to a frequent shopper program and 73% say they receive email alerts for shopping. They’re also really big on product reviews: 68% feel they are better informed after reading online product reviews, with 58% saying they are ready to make a purchase after reading reviews…a stat that’s almost as high as women.